Some questions keep popping up in the minds of our organizers.  Here our answers to some of them.  If you have any other questions, feel free to e-mail us at organizers@stepitup2007.org.

Organizers' Frequently Asked Questions

How big should my rally be?
The short answer is, as big as possible. Numbers count--a thousand is better than a hundred is better than a dozen in terms of sheer impact. But there are exceptions--maybe you're hoisting your banner in a hard-to-get-to place: on top of the Grand Teton, say. In that case, a few is as good as a throng. Or maybe you're in a small town, or you're organizing your gathering at a small church. For the most part, if you exhaust your email lists and the email lists of your friends, if you make sure to involve as many local organizations as possible, and if you work with us to build local publicity in advance, you'll have plenty of people to make a statement.

Why are we asking for 80% carbon cuts by 2050?
Our request of Congress is simple: that they put America on a course to cut carbon emissions 80% by the middle of the century.

This sounds like a lot—but in fact, it’s less than a two percent reduction a year. It won’t be easy: it will take commitment and resources to switch from fossil fuels to new sources of energy. But it needs to be done: the latest science tells us that temperatures are increasing faster than expected, and the results are showing up in melting ice caps, intensifying storms, and rising sea levels. America’s foremost climatologist, NASA scientist James Hansen, has said that we have just a few years to start reducing carbon emissions, and he’s endorsed our goal of 80% by 2050. That won’t prevent global warming—it’s already too late for that—but it may be enough to stave off the most catastrophic effects.

And it’s possible. The cost of renewable energy is falling fast. New conservation technologies, like hybrid cars, are becoming more available. Many Americans are starting to switch already, but only leadership from Washington can allow this transformation to happen fast enough. And if we begin to get our house in order, then we can play some role in helping China and India steer away from cataclysm as well.

There are no guarantees we’ll succeed. But if we act ambitiously, we have reason to hope.

Will this thing work?/Will Congress be listening?
Absolutely, but only if we make enough noise.

Last fall’s elections replaced may committee chairmen on Capitol Hill with people who have an open mind on global warming. But that just allows the debate to begin. So far most of our representatives and senators think global warming is a “third-tier” issue for their constituents—they don’t know that this is the greatest challenge confronting our civilization. And so they’re likely to act too modestly if they act at all—passing some new law that calls for only small cuts in carbon emissions and takes too long to get started. If we allow that to happen, the pressure for change will fade away, and by the time it builds again the scientists tell us it may be too late.

How can I make my rally carbon neutral?
We all know that burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming. Unfortunately many of us, in the process of organizing a Step It Up 2007 rally, will be emitting carbon, a major greenhouse gas. That's why we've teamed up with our friends at Native Energy to offer carbon offsets to event organizers. CO₂ offsetting is when one someone pays someone else to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide on his or her behalf. Native Energy invests the money you pay for offsets in clean wind power and methane digestion projects, promoting the development of green energy in the United States.

You can use the Native Energy website to calculate how many tons of carbon your rally and the people attending your rally will emit, and purchase offsets--also known as Renewable Energy Credits (RECs)--to compensate for the emissions. Sources of greenhouse gases you can offset include the electricity needed to power a sound system and lights or transportation to and from an event, to name a few. By offsetting, your Step It Up 2007 action will be carbon neutral, making no net contribution to global warming, the very problem we're organizing to fight.

So, visit Native Energy's website and offset your action now!

Why not just have a march on Washington?
The day may come when that’s what we need. But we think that it’s even more important for our representatives to know that the people back in their districts really care about this issue. (And we hope you’ll invite them to come pose for pictures with you at the rallies—in many cases, they’ll be eager to show up. And even if they don’t come, the message will start to sink in).

We also think it’s going to be truly striking for Americans to turn on the TV and see their countrymen in iconic spots across the nation—some spectacular, like the peaks of icy mountains or underwater on coral reefs. But many more in places that look like home to them: on church steps and in city parks, along the tidelines of our coastal cities, in the fields where our food comes from.  This is the America we want to defend against the massive change that would come with global warming—it’s the America we dearly love.

Not only that, but staying close to home cuts down on carbon emissions—which is the point, after all.